(Invited) Progress in Electrochemically Active Components for High-Energy Density Lithium Sulfur Battery Systems

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Energy storage is becoming increasingly critical for sustaining an energy independent global economy. At present, the major energy eco-system relies primarily on tapping into the earth’s natural oil reserves and gas exports. The Li-ion battery chemistry has evolved over the years since its commercialization by Sony in 1990 and is currently at the forefront of secondary rechargeable battery systems. The field has witnessed burgeoning and an alarming growth in research activity since 1990 with transformative advances made in all areas of cathodes, anodes, and electrolytes. Despite much progress, however, lithiated transition metal oxides and carbon remain the preferred flagship systems that have made it into the commercial arena currently deployed in the hitherto electric vehicles (EVs). The incessant growth and global demand combined with the concomitant emergence of artificial intelligence, countless applications in use and ever evolving, there is an ever-increasing impetus for developing high energy density systems. The intense demand for identifying higher energy density systems has made Li-air and Li-S systems, the preferred actively researched systems of late. The Li-S systems are of particular interest due to the promise of achieving 500 Wh kg-1, a major milestone in meeting the energy density needed for next generation EVs matching and exceeding the performance metrics of the internal combustion engine (ICE).This presentation will discuss the materials challenges in anode, cathode and the electrolyte areas that must be overcome to reach the grand challenge of 500 Whkg-1. Research progress made in the areas of developing cost-effective and scalable new sulfur and polysulfide confinement systems enabling high sulfur loadings of 4-6 mg/cm2 combined with unique functional electrocatalysts aided by theoretical first principles calculations exhibiting propensities to electro-catalyze Li2S formation will be discussed. Concurrently, progress made in generating new dendrite-free anodes and low-density current collectors for anode free configurations exhibiting areal capacities as high as 15 m Ah/cm2 with stable cycling over 100 cycles as well as electrolyte additives matching the cathode and anode performances will be outlined.